The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-08-26

special.
In connection with the celebration of
the twenty-fifth anniversary of the bat
tie of New Ulm which is in progress at
that place to-day, it will be interesting
to our readers to read the following
narrative of the events connected with
the outbreak of Sioux Indians in August,
1862. The appended matter was COM
piled from Bryant's history of the great
massacre, of which Mr.. James Shoema-
ker has the only copy in Mankato.
On Monday morning, the 18th of Au-
gust, party of men, citizens of New
Ulm, left that place to recruit for volun-
teers, under the call of the President of
the United States. for the Union army
in the South. When some seven or
eight miles from New Ulm they came
across several dead bodies of white per-
sons lying in the road. Becoming salts
fled that it was the work of Indians they
turned to retrace their steps. While on
their way back to the town, and while
yet some miles out, party of Indians
fired upon them from an ambush by the
roadside, killing several of the party and
two of their horses. Those not killed
made their escape to the village and
gave the alarm. At about the same
time Frederick BelIsle, a Frenchman in
the employment of the government at
the Upper Agency, accompanied by two
other young men, had left New Ulm,
with twO-horse team, for the Lower
Agency. With them was man with a
one-horse wagon. When near the
Travellers Home" seven miles above
New Ulm, about fifty Indians were OBJ
served near the road, and as Beiisle,
who was ahead, came opposite to them
they fired, killing all three of the men.
The man in the other wagon turned and
fled back to New Ulm, reaching there
about the same time that the remnant
of the recruiting party from toward the
Cottonwood returned. AS he fled along
the road he saw the Indians shoot a man
on stack of grain. and at the same time
he saw them pursue and kill the men
who were gathering grain in the field.
The people from the surrounding
country soon began to pour into and
through the place, fleeing for their
lives, and bringing the news of general
massacre in the country above, and
back of that point, many of them leaving
Il portion of their families murdered, or
in the hands OF the savagea. Some stop
ped III the town, others lied 10 st. Peter
and points below. An Understandable
panic at once seized upon the lnhablt-
ants of this hitherto quiet German town.
Many OF them Immediately sent their
women and children to st. Peter for
safety; and, at about midnight, the
stream of frightened fugitives were fill
ing that place.
During ali that night and the next day
the Indians overran the country around,
numbering the inhabitants, burning the
buildings and stacks of the farmers, and
driving off the horses and cattle; and
about four o'clock on the afternoon oil
Tuesday party of mounted Indians APP
peared ON the outskirts of the town, IN
The rear OF the first table land, lying
parallel with the Minnesota river, and
/ dismountlng advanced al once upon the
place. The people were gathered to-
gether i'll the buildings, III the center OF
the village, perfectly panic stricken and
helpless. Their arms were most ofthem
unfit for use IN fight, and they were In
IL seemingly hopeless condition. ForIu-
nalely for them party of eighteen men
well armed, from Nicollet and st. Peter
had reached the town that day at about
one O'Clock,
AS early as the 10Th day of August
upon the first news of the outbreak, q
meeting of the citizens was called al
Mankatu for the purpose of forming q
military company for immediate service
against the sayages. A company was
formed in pursuance thereof, compris
ing eIghty-two men, officers and pr.
Yates, and the captaincy was bestoweJ
by the company upon William Bier
bauer, who on the next day marched
with his command for New Uim,
The battle of New Ulm occupied Sstur
day and Sunday. Aug. 23d and oath. The
Indians appeared about half-past nine
| in the forenoon, at the edge OF the tim
beg about the town, supposed to be aboa
500 in nunher. They began an advance
on the forces in defense of the village
The attack Of the savages was sever
one, and they succeeded in Teacbig
lower town, and took advantage &C Ds
direction of the wind to set fire to build
ings and advancing behind the smoke
made their way toward the center of tn,
town.
The fighting now become general, ant
at this critical time Captain VIM. r
Dodd, in an effort to rally his men to al
attack on the advancing savages VS.
killed.
The Captains horse fell dead in the
street, few steps from where bis
heroic rider fell. The supposed rein
forcements proved to be Indians. dress
ed in citizens clothes, probably DISCUS
ed for the very purpose of deceiving our
men. One of the four who supported
Captain Dodd into our lines was wound
ed. At this stage of the battle Captain
Saunders, Baptist minister of LIE Sueur,
was wounded in the body, and many
others were also wounded. The fight
at this point (Lower Town was very de-
termined and desperate, but finding an
entrance into our lines at this place ratlI
er doubtful, the Indians then charged
around point of timber in the rear of
the town, with great fierceness, and
again tried to break our lines; but our
forces sailed out and repulsed them,
with deafening cheers. At this point,
Newell Houghton, an old settler in the
valley, and the best riflemen in the
state, was killed.
After this repulse the most critical
fighting of the day was passed, and the
Indians did not make another vigorous
charge. The contest, however, contin-
ued until dark, when the enemy began
to carry off their dead and wounded.
Our men then burned the remaining
outside buildings, and retired to their
barrocades, Occassiona. firing -contin-
ued through the night, and, in the morn
ing, Sunday the attack was renewed
by the savages, and continued for sever
al hours, with, however, but little spirit,
when they began slowly to retreat, and
by noon the battle of New Ulm had been
fought, and the whites were masters of
the field-but at what fearful price!
The dead, dying and wounded filed the
few buildings left strnding, and this
beautiful and enterprIsing German town,
which, on Monday morning, contained
over two hundred buildings, had been
laid i'm ashes-about twenty-five houses
remaining to mark the spot where New
Ulm once stood. Some of the buildings
were burned by the whites from neces-
sity, as the afforded shelter for the
enemy.
The twenty-fifth anniversary of the
battle of New Ulm closed Wednesday